IFA REACTION TO SUSPECTED BSE CASE

11 Jun 2015

IFA REACTION TO SUSPECTED BSE CASE

Reacting to the announcement by the Department of Agriculture today that a suspected BSE case has been identified in County Louth, IFA President Eddie Downey said, “This isolated case shows the effectiveness of the monitoring and control systems in place in Ireland”.

He said the traceability and monitoring controls adopted by farmers and the sector are the most stringent and robust anywhere and ensure the health status and quality of our agri-produce. A random case is not unusual in the context of the robust control systems we have in place for all diseases.

This animal was identified as part of the on-going monitoring for BSE of animals collected from farms by knackeries for rendering.

“The case involved a five-year old cow sent to a knackery for disposal from a Louth dairy farm and the Department of Agriculture is awaiting tests to confirm the situation, which will take up to a week,” Downey concluded.